A grand jury decides not to hand up an indictment in the Michael Brown case. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is shown the door. And Americans are getting more hawkish about ISIS.

It's Tuesday, and here are the "5 things to know for your New Day."

1. FERGUSONDecision aftermath: A grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, setting off fresh confrontations between protesters and police in the tense Missouri city last night. While most of the protesters were peacefully assembled on the streets of Ferguson, some smashed the windows of a police cruiser and set another on fire. Some protesters rushed the officers lined up in front of the Ferguson police department. Some in the crowd told the agitators to stop throwing bottles, but their urgings fell on deaf air. Police responded by lobbing tear gas, making matters worse.

2. CHUCK HAGELOn the outs: Chuck Hagel was doomed even before he walked into the Pentagon. The Vietnam veteran with deep relationships on Capitol Hill shocked Washington by appearing unprepared and inarticulate before his former colleagues during a Senate confirmation hearing to become Defense secretary. He never really recovered and, nearly two years later, seemed increasingly out of step with an administration facing new national security challenges everywhere from the Middle East to Ukraine. Hagel announced his intent to resign yesterday. He was pushed out by the President, sources told CNN, but will stay in the job until a successor is named.

3. STAND YOUR GROUNDPlea bargain: A Florida woman who'd been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in a "stand your ground" case accepted a plea bargain yesterday that greatly reduces her sentence. The 20-year sentence came in a case in which the woman, a mother of three, said she was attempting to flee her husband, when she picked up a handgun and fired a shot into a wall. Nobody was struck by the bullet. After having the initial conviction overturned, Marissa Alexander was sentenced yesterday to 65 days in jail on two counts of aggravated assault, with credit for time already served since her 2012 conviction. She'll also serve two years under house arrest, and she agreed to wear a monitoring device.

4. CLEVELAND SHOOTINGUnder a microscope: A law enforcement officer's quick decision is once again being put under scrutiny. Yesterday, Cleveland police said officers fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice as the youth reached for an air pistol in his waist. Chief Calvin Williams said the air pistol was "indistinguishable from a real firearm." An orange tip indicating the gun was not a real firearm had been removed, police said. "Our officers at times are required to make critical decisions in a split second," Williams said at a news conference "Unfortunately, this was one of those times."

5. ISISThreat assessment: Most Americans now believe ISIS poses at least a somewhat serious threat to the United States and Americans are growing slightly more hawkish on the U.S. strategy to combat the militant group, according to a CNN/ORC poll released Monday. About half of the public believes ISIS poses a very serious threat to the United States and a majority, about 6 in 10, are confident the U.S. will "degrade and destroy" ISIS forces. Only 10% of those surveyed said the ISIS threat is not serious.

I REALLY miss the extra things you used to put at the end of the "Five things to know for your New Day." We need some lightness and humor in this ole' world. I have used your extra things to share with my grand girls and others. PLEASE put them back! 😉

I am a white woman from the northeast and I remember many times as a teenager in the 1960's and 1970's when my parents talked to us about what would be appropriate behavior if we were out and for some reason had interaction with police or some adult who for some reason was unhappy with our behavior or that of someone we were with. (Also why we told to "choose our friends wisely" and "be careful of the company you keep") I am tired of hearing African Americans say only they have to or why should they have to have these conversations with their children! Wake up people!!! I grew up thinking ALL parents talked to their kids about these things because that is how you teach your children to grow up to be decent respectable people who have respect for everyone. Respect for your elders and authorities!!!!

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